Etrian Odyssey V: Masters of Fate
by ObnoxiousBlondeTsundereGunner
Summary: The Labyrinth of Yggdrasil, a sprawling dungeon of monsters, mysteries, and treasures. It's many lures draw countless brave, powerful, amazing adventurers to it, daring them to explore its entirety. This is the story of one such guild of explorers, Guild Blue Moon. However, they are not brave. Or powerful. Or amazing, really. In fact, they are the worst of the worst.


**Hello, and let me just begin by saying thank you for checking out my first fanfic! I've loved the Etrian Odyssey games since EOIV, my first one, and with the release of EOV next month, I was inspired to make this fic! Being an overburdened college student, I may not have a lot of time to write and upload chapters to this fic or other stories, but I hope to be able to do so whenever I can.**

 **This chapter will be a prologue to introduce the main characters as well the world they inhabit through the eyes of a very special someone...you! While this may not be your story overall, I hope you will enjoy the perspective this first chapter offers.**

 **Also, just to give you a better picture of what the characters look like, here is a brief table of the appearances of the main characters. 'Color' refers to the default color pallete associated with the particular character portrait.**

 **Relna = Dragoon, Female 1, Color 1**

 **Carlisle = Botanist, Male 2, Color 2**

 **Lazalia = Necromancer, Female 1, Color 1**

 **Rin = Masurao, Female 1, Color 1**

 **Vellis = Warlock, Male 1, Color 1**

 **Theodorius = Pugilist, Male 2, Color 1**

 **Terra = Shaman, Female 1, Color 1**

 **Luca = Warlock, Female 2, Color 1**

 **Julius = Harbinger, Male 1, Color 1**

 **Momoka = Rover, Female 2, Color 1**

 **These portraits can be easily found on Atlus' home page for the game under the different class sections under the Characters section, if you need help finding what I'm talking about.**

 **Well, with that, let's begin! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Ah, take in that fresh air! The early morning sun peeks up at you over the horizon, lighting your path on your solitary trek. You're at the edge of the woods now, and you take the fading chirps of the now waking birds as a fond farewell from the denizens of the forest. Even the trees themselves seem to be waving you off, their branches gently swaying in the breeze, wishing you well as you march towards your new life, towards the city of Iorys!

Oh, but hang on, though! Why exactly are you heading to this place, again?

...to become an explorer you say? To discover the secrets of the Labyrinth of Yggdrasil? My, that sounds like no easy feat! But just look at you, young Fencer! Armed with your hope, pep, and the best armor and weapons you could afford on (a dishearteningly small budget), you appear to be filled with determination and set to tackle any hurdles thrown your way! Why, I'm sure this new life will suit you just fine. Just think about it! A mysterious Labyrinth within a giant tree, no doubt filled with monstrous monsters and valuable valuables galore! And the city of Iorys, built practically adjacent to Yggdrasil, looks absolutely beautiful, even from this distance! What kinds of people will you meet there, I wonder? Your small village, though you clearly loved it with all of your heart, was rather limited in terms of people and things to do, wasn't it? Day in and day out, tending to the land, raising the livestock, forcing down Grandma's turnip soup, corralling your many mischievous little brothers and sisters...why, I'm surprised the tedious mediocrity of it all wasn't enough to drive you mad! But, you're here now, just a few miles away from your salvation, Iorys. Those last few days of seemingly endless hiking have turned your legs into two throbbing, gel-like sticks, and your back aches something fierce after using the rough forest dirt as a bed, but you're sure once you pass those city gates, a warm bed and a piping hot bowl of (hopefully not turnip) soup awaits you at whichever inn you choose! Or, more like, whichever inn you can afford. You, of course, come from...humble beginnings...VERY humble beginnings...but you've been saving up for YEARS to buy the necessary equipment to become an adventurer, and let's not mention the countless hours of secret sword practice as well. Your parents would have never allowed you to "waste" time and money on something as "foolish" as becoming an adventurer...which is why you never let them know your plans! A simple note upon your departure was all you could bring yourself to leave as you set off for greater things. You shiver even now, imagining your parents' fury at the discovery of your sudden departure, but you shake off your sudden doubt, readjust your buckler, and resolve to continue on this path you've made for yourself. After all, this isn't just for you. With the abundance of treasures that are sure to be in the Labyrinth, you're sure there will be more than enough to send home to support your family. All you need to do is get in there, and find it...

You're almost there now. You can see travelers and caravans lining up at the city gates, one by one obtaining entry. You briefly wonder what has brought them all here as well as you marvel at their utter...foreignness. You must look quite out of place and shabby compared to these people, mouth agape, eyes wide. But you just can't help it. You've heard of a race of strong, beast-like warriors from the mountains, but you've never personally seen a Therian before, you realize, as you marvel at a woman's large rabbit-like ears. The only Celestrian you've ever known was an old, roving magician who would come to your village every year or so, exchanging entertainment for en. Their various appearances, fashion, even their accents throw you off, and you gulp involuntarily, realizing just how large and mysterious the world really is compared to the small, isolated life you just left.

You've almost reached the end of the line, and you crane your neck back, gazing up at the large gates before you. A final surge of determination fills you, and step forward towards the guard, ready to enter the city of Iorys, and begin your new life as an explorer of Yggdrasil.

* * *

"Excuse me."

"Sorry!"

"Pardon me."

"Watch it!"

You feel yourself jostled about and bumped to and fro as you wander the streets of this bustling city. Gazing about, you find yourself entranced by the multitude and variety of people, the little shops and restaurants lining the roads, and the hubbub of hundreds of voices as they go along their day to day activities. It's enough to take your breath away...or perhaps that winded feeling is because of that Pugilist who just elbowed you in the ribs. Grimacing and desperately trying to pull air back into your lungs, you shake it off and chalk it up to simple mistake and move on.

You inhale and are immediately overwhelmed by a myriad of mixed scents, all swirling together into an interesting concoction of aromas that you could have never previously begun to imagine. You take a moment to pick them apart as they continue their assault on your nose. Freshly baked bread, most likely from the quaint little bakery you just passed, a pungent mix of herbs that seem to be wafting from what appears to be a pharmacy, and...ugh...you'd know the foul smell of horse droppings anywhere. A startled and furious exclamation from somewhere in the crowd has confirmed that one your fellow pedestrians has found the source of the stench. You silently send him your sympathies. If anyone knows how hard it is to wash horse dung out of boots, it's you.

Lost in your thoughts, you hardly notice as another figure approaches you. At the last second, however, he careens into you, seemingly having tripped over something.

"Oh, sorry about that!" he grins and claps you twice on the shoulder. He hurries on his way before you can even reply, however. You're about to forget about the whole incident and carry on your way, when you are suddenly reminded of an experience quite similar to this...

You take a moment to thoughtfully scratch your chin, one hand on your hip, staring skyward in the classic 'I'm having a profound revelation in the form of a flashback about what once seemed to be an inconsequential event, but is now very relevant to me' position. The flashback plays through your mind, complete with Dutch angles and an impactful sepia tone.

 _You are walking through the streets of Hemellheim, a relatively small city that's roughly a three day's ride from your farming village. This is the first time your father has allowed you to accompany him to the city to sell your crops, a much needed resource in this stoney city of blacksmiths and miners. He was adamant against bringing you along for years, but after enough begging, pleading, and promising to take on extra chores, he agreed to let you come with him, as long as you never left his sight. You, being the dutiful, obedient, and most of all grateful, child that you were, held true to your promise, and haven't even let go of your father's hand once as the two of you roam the streets, wheeling your cart of crops towards the market square._

 _As you approach a fork in the road, however, a robed woman sidles by, squeezing between your father and passing pack of miners._

 _"Excuse me..." she mutters, not even looking back as she hurries along her way._

 _"Hey! Watch where yer goin', lady!" your father snaps, shaking his head as she disappears into the crowd. He turns to you and says, "Naw look 'ere, all these 'ere city folk arra buncha rude, clumsy idjits, ya see that? No respect er care fer anyone but themselves, ah tell ya hwat... C'mon, now, let's git on down ter that market."_

 _You both proceed uninterrupted to your destination, and as you move to set up your stand, your father is flagged down by the marketplace manager, no doubt collecting the customary rental space fee._

 _You've just finished unpacking the onions (lovely looking vegetables that you're proud of raising yourself. Great job on that, by the way!) when you hear your father shout in protest._

 _"Whatintheblueblazes!" he exclaims, loud enough to draw the attention of several passerby. "Ah swear ah had the en, right 'ere!" He is now pointing to a spot on his waist where his pouch of money used to hang. Both the pouch and the string tying it to his hip seem to have disappeared._

 _"Well, I'm sorry, sir, but without the money, I'm afraid I can't allow you to rent this area..." the manager begins to become visibly flustered, and perhaps even frightened, as your father flies into a flurry to hick slang and hillbilly slurs._

 _"Confound it! Dagnab wench yanked mah goddamn wallet, I tell ya hwat! Lil' goldarn thief musta snatched it when she jostled me!"_

 _"Sir, I'm sorry to hear that, but without the money..."_

 _Your father suddenly gives up his fruitless search for the cash, drops to his knees, and raises his fists to the sky in a dramatic show of ultimate fury. His voice bellows out to the heavens as the scene burns itself into your retinas, his words carving themselves deep into your soul._

 _"CONFOUND THESE SLIMY CITYFOOOOOOOOLK!"_

You gasp as you return to the present, the events of years past suddenly playing out once again. Your hand flies to your hip, then to your other side. Nothing. Your wallet is gone, and your blood runs cold.

Every last bit of en you had was stored in that pouch.

Suddenly, you find yourself crying out. Help! Help! you shout. Someone's nabbed my doggone wallet! Under normal circumstances, you'd be at least somewhat embarrassed about your thick accent and country roots showing so clearly in the midst of these city folk, but you're in a panic now, and coming across as a country bumpkin is the least of your concerns.

Your cries for help have certainly turned many heads, and all eyes are on you, but you freeze as you realize something. Nobody is offering to help. Your imploring gaze is met with blank stares, whispers of detached pity, and, most infuriating of all, small chuckles of amusement at your obvious lack of street smarts. A small circle has formed around you now, and you sink to your knees involuntarily, your legs too weak to support you under this weight of despair.

Is this it? Is this how your new life begins, and too suddenly, ends? Without that money, you have nowhere to stay, no way to eat, nowhere to go...except home. You can feel your heart sink as you think about your parents fury and your return to a life of endless chores and mediocrity.

Suddenly, a gauntleted hand is thrust before you, its dark metal catching the sunlight and almost blinding you. You glance up out of reflex, and are greeted by a smiling face of woman clad in heavy armor, a shield and strange metal stick strapped to her back. You think it's called a...rifle? Her long blond hair flows down her shoulder, and you notice an eyepatch over her left eye.

"Cheer up, friend." Her voice is confident, and her hand grips your's tightly as she pulls you to your feet. "I shall assist you in apprehending this thieving scoundrel! Now, in which direction did the perpetrator flee?"

You're so caught up in your admiration for this selfless, brave woman that you don't answer at first. Her one blue eye locks onto your own gaze, and you start, remembering the urgency of the matter at hand. You point to in the direction that you came, but you can no longer see the man through the crowd (probably because you stopped so long to recall that flashback. Just saying).

"The fiend cannot have done far. Let us away, friend! Describe the appearance of this abhorrent criminal to me as we give chase!"

She grabs hold of your arm and breaks into a surprisingly fast sprint for one wearing so much armor. After your mind takes a moment to process the grandiose wording of her sentences, you rattle off any details you manage to remember about the thief. The woman nods along as she parts the crowd with her bulky shield, eliciting surprised yelps and irritated protests at the pair of you as you run.

It takes a few minutes, but, by pure luck, you manage to catch a glimpse of the man's hood as he ducks into an alley between two stores. You point him out to your ally, and she makes a beeline towards him. She leads the way into the narrow alley and stops as she spots the thief attempting to hide in an empty crate before you.

"Stay behind me, friend." she commands. "I shall take care of this."

The woman steps forward, chest out and confidence brimming. "There will be no need for that, villain. We've already caught you red handed. I suggest you come with me and turn yourself in to the authorities, as well as return the Ental you stole from this innocent civilian."

The man is startled at first, but climbs out of the crate and whistles two notes loudly. A smile spreads across his face, and he unsheathes a knife from under his coat.

"You think you have me cornered? Ha! I've got friends all over this city, lady, and they're comin' to help me out right now!"

"Let them come!" The armored woman steps forward, brandishing her shield and rifle in challenge. "I gladly welcome the opportunity to bring justice to-whoa, hey!"

Her speech is cut short by the thief literally trying to cut her. She backs up into you, sending you reeling a few steps back, and barely manages to fend off a quick jab to her head. She bashes the man with her shield, snd he jumps back a few feet, sizing the Dragoon up.

"Y-you didn't let me finish my speech!" The woman actually sounds more offended by the fact that she was interrupted than the fact that she almost lost her other eye.

"No one wants to hear your dumb delusions of grandeur, Relna!" the man says, rolling his eyes.

"Ah!" Relna's eyes (er, eye) light(s) up in excitement. "I see my reputation precedes me!"

"Yeah, as the stupidest, most foolhardy leader of the worst guild in this city! I honestly don't know why they let you morons run around the Labyrinth."

"I resent that, scum! True, Guild Blue Moon may not be the most prestigious of guilds, but I shall not allow you to slander our good name with lies against our character! I did not want to reveal my true power, but it appears you leave me no choice!"

True power? Does this knight have some sort of hidden ability? Amazed and in suspense, you stare at her, excitement building as the thief cautiously takes a step back, despite his earlier confidence.

Relna reaches up to her face, and you see her hands drop back to her sides, her eyepatch in her left hand. Suddenly, she tenses her entire body, and a low growl reaches a crescendo from deep within her. Your eyes widen as she begins to build up power, more and more and even more, until-

She raises her weapon into the sky and lets loose a deafening roar. "Behold! The power of Relnamathriosk the Ancient Dragon, King of Power, Ruler of Wisdom, and Heart of Courage! Behold...the Gaze of the Dragon!"

...

...

...What.

You and the thief are both stunned and in silence. Though Relna's speech and pose are both certainly dramatic, nothing happens. Somewhere behind you on the busy streets, you hear a child call out about wanting to see the street play that must be happening nearby. The silence continues.

The thief is finally the first to break the silence. "You think...you're a dragon...? Ooooooohhhh, I get it now. You're CRAZY."

The epiphany reaches you as well. Did this lady seriously just claim to be some sort of ancient dragon? Really?

Two figures drop down from either roof around you, and you realize that now the numbers have shifted against you. The thief grins at his allies and they advance towards you. You take a step back, but Relna stands firm, a confident smirk plastered on her face. She turns to look at you over her shoulder, still striking her over dramatic pose. "You should stand back, friend. The full Might of the Dragon should be enough to handle these ruffians."

Turning back to the criminals, she bangs her rifle against her shield, throwing down the gauntlet, so to speak.

"Come at me, scoundrels!" She yells. "Face true Might!"

The battle doesn't last a minute. Really, it's a stretch to even call it a battle. The thieves overwhelm Relna rather quickly, and it's not long before one of them has her pinned to the ground with her arms behind her back, the other two now shifting their focus to their new target. You.

"B-balderdash!" Relna groans, struggling against the woman sitting on top of her. "Perhaps my power has not returned to me fully?"

"Shut up!" the original thief yells at her. He turns to his accomplice beside him, his knife pointed at you. "Now let's get the other one!"

Despite you having a clear seascape route, you freeze in place, too scared to move and forgetting that you even have a weapon to defend yourself with. The two crooks take their time advancing on you, their weapons glinting in the sunlight, showing off the deadly curves of their blades.

"Hey! What's going on in there!"

The men stop and widen their eyes, and you whirl around to find a squad of guards at your back. Analyzing the situation immediately, they move into the alleyway, one guard pulling you out to safety as the others back the thieves into a corner. The criminal pinning the foolish Dragoon releases her and stands with her allies, hissing in anger as they all surrender, obviously not stupid enough to take on a gang of guards while cornered.

In a few short minutes, you inform the guards about what happened, the criminals are cuffed, marched away (with many hisses and spits flying in your direction as they are pushed past you), and the guard who pulled you to safety turns to you.

"I apologize that such a thing had to happen to you. This is hardly the welcome anybody deserves to our fair city. I hope it will not give you a negative opinion of Iorys, thieves like that are few and far between."

You shake your head, thanking the guard for his squad's quick response and brace actions.

The guard seems pleased by your words, and gives you a rigid salute. "All in a day's work citizen. Now, unfortunately, I must trouble you for a few more things. I must ask you to accompany me to the local guard station to fill out a criminal charge report. Once you have done that, we can return your money to you and ensure that those thieves receive justice."

You nod, happily agreeing to his conditions. Honestly, you're just relieved that everything worked out in the end!

A pained moan reaches your ears, and you turn around, only now remembering the armor clad woman still on the floor. She flips over onto her back, her blond hair now covered in dirt and tangled.

Though the woman has certainly shown courage in helping you track down this thief, that's about all she's done. Her "Gaze of the Dragon" or whatever didn't really help you get your money back and almost got you both killed, but she clearly meant well, so you rush to her side all the same.

"Ugh..." she moans. "I...may not make it through this...my friend..." She reaches up to clasp your hand in hers. Meeting her gaze, you realize that her eye that was covered by the patch is a bright crimson, contrasting with her azure blue right eye. It also seems to be in perfect working order, and, as far as you can tell, doesn't seem to have any 'Draconic' power or whatever. The foolish woman grips your hand tighter, and a tight smile forms upon her lips. "Please...remember me fondly, friend. Build a statue...in my...honor...geh..."

With those final words, Relna goes limp, her head falling to the side. You gasp and shake her at first, but a sudden snore and line of drool forming at the corner of her mouth dispels any iota of concern for the woman. Scowling, you drop her to the ground, causing her to mumble in annoyance.

"Ugh, again with this lunatic..." the guard sighs from behind you. He shakes his head and gestures towards the sleeping Dragoon in a dismissive manner. "That's Relna, as she's probably already shouted at you a million times by now. She's the leader of a guild in this city. They...how do I say this gently...well, they suck. Like, really bad. You seem to be new here, and if I'm right, you're here to become an explorer, right?"

You nod.

"Then, even if things get tough out there, just know that there's always someone else out there whose worse at it than you. That's all I'll say on the matter." The guard sighs again, looking down at the unconscious woman, and although his face is hidden behind his helmet, you can still sense the annoyance, pity, and disapproval that must be mixed into his expression right now. "Ugh, but probably not for long if she keeps trying to play vigilante like this. I hate to ask this of you, but would you help me carry her to the inn her guild usually stays at? It's not far from here, and she can rest there in safety. Despite all my complaining, Relna's heart is in the right place, and it seems like she did truly want to help you. I would ask my unit for help, but, well, they're off arresting those thieves, and it'd be a while before another patrol passes through here."

You glance down at Relna again, a stupid, goofy grin plastered across her face, and wonder how you could have found this wannabe knight so gallant and dashing just a few minutes ago. You roll your eyes, thoroughly annoyed, pocket her fallen eyepatch, and move to grab her legs. The guard thanks you and hooks his arms under her shoulder. He counts to three, and the pair of you hoist the woman up between you, which is no easy feat due to her heavy armor and weapons.

As you both shuffle off, huffing and puffing and gaining many a stare from people on the street, you resolve to take the lesson of this experience to heart. Never run off with "brave", eccentric lunatics that promise to help you catch a thief.

...Although, if I may, my friend, perhaps the real lesson was instead to keep your money more secure in the first place, instead of tied around your hip with a string?

...S-sorry, I'll shut up now...

* * *

Upon reaching the inn, you are directed towards the guild's rooms by a less than surprised Therian inn keeper. It seems she's used to Relna coming home in such a state, and offers to bring a bowl of stew up to the room shortly, as well as informing you two that the guild's medic is currently in the room as well, should she require any healing.

Transporting Relna up the stairs is no quick feat, and constitutes many bumps and thumps to the Dragoon's head as she is lifted up each stair. Surprisingly, she doesn't wake up, only muttering irritatedly about more Dragon nonsense with each hit. Finally, you and the guard reach the top of the stairs and stop in front of one of the many doors. The guard unceremoniously drops Relna to the floor, eliciting an irritated "damn you, scoundrel" and another round of snores from the woman, and the guard knocks on the door twice. Almost instantly, the door is opened. At first, the room appears empty, but a voice from the doorway causes you to look down and spot a bright haired Brouni, gazing up at you behind a large pair of spectacles.

"HellOH my goodness! Relna! B-blimey, what happened to her!?"

"More vigilante street justice." The guard's exasperated tone indicates that this sort of situation is a common occurrence. "She's gonna get herself killed one of these days trying to play hero."

The Brouni nods emphatically, breaking into a ramble. "Yes, yes, exactly! Bloody silly of her, innit? I tell her that ALL the time and STILL she goes out there and always comes back a bloody mess! I mean, I understand she just wants to help people. I do too! But there's got to be a better way of going about it than getting herself involved with every street fight and common thief that she sees. I mean, look at my job, for instance. I cook up cure-alls and stitch up slashes and the like. The life of a Botanist is hard work, but rewarding to see the smiles of those I help! Well, um, they're not ALWAYS smiling, are they? I mean, little hard to flash those pearly whites while your broken bones are being reset, or your eye is gushing blood, innit? Oh, that reminds of this one time-"

"That's great, Carlisle" The guard pushes past the young man, clearly losing his patience.

"Oh!" Carlisle exclaims. "Right, right, sorry! Relna! Healing! Totally slipped my mind! Let me grab my medicine!" He rushes to a table nearby and grabs a satchel as the guard drags Relna behind him into the room. With your help, he manages to lift her up onto one of the beds in the room. The small healer bounces over, spilling herbs and flasks from his medicine bag as he scrambles to fetch some such potion from his satchel.

"Let me take a look at her." He hops onto the bed and pokes and prods the woman, staring at her with a determined scowl.

"She shouldn't have taken much of a beating." The guard comments. "Honestly, she should probably be just fine with some rest and a Medica-"

"Shhh!" Carlisle holds a finger up and presses his ear to the Dragoon's chest. "Wait..."

You and the guard stand in silence for a moment, not sure what the Botanist has noticed that you two haven't.

A second later, the Botanist sits up. "Okay, good news! She's not dead. So, um, that's out of the way. Uh, yes, NOT dead. Always an important thing to note when treating a patient. Um, right..."

The guard's gauntleted hand rises up to meet his helmeted face as he lets out an exhausted groan. Trading a glance with you, he says, "One thing you should know if you ever hang out with these Guild Blue Moon guys again: they're all idiots. Especially this shrimp."

Carlisle's head, which had previously been dunked into his bag as he rooted around for some illusive item, pops up like a spring loaded toy, an offended expression plastered across his face.

"Hey!" he exclaims, bits of herbs sticking to his hair. He strips a plate of armor from Relna's body and begins to pour an oil over an injured area, staring at the two of you with livid eyes. "I am NOT an idiot! I mean, yes, TECHNICALLY I never passed medical school, and TECHNICALLY the patients who come to me don't always leave, um, well, 100% fine, but I've got heart, and that's what matters, yeah? I've read the books! I've mixed the medicines! So what if I don't have any fancy documentation to prove it? I care a bloody lot more than those old, greedy sods that charge half a fortune's worth for some simple healing. I care about my work and those I help. That counts for something, yeah? You agree, right?"

You point out that he has poured way too much oil onto Relna and has begun to soak the sheets. He jumps, hurriedly stashing the oil away.

"Oh, um, yes! Good catch, there! Even the best of doctors need a good nurse to help them!" He chuckles and begins to rummage through his satchel again, but then stops, apparently forgetting what he was looking for. Turning back to you, Carlisle smiles sheepishly. "Say, you look like the type of person who would make a FABULOUS nurse. Have you ever thought of going into the medical field? Why don't you stay here and keep assisting me, hm? For, uh, learning purposes, yeah! Like, perhaps you could tell me what I should do next...?"

The guard sighs beside you for the millionth time. Looking at the patient, it's quite obvious. You start to tell him that all the wound really needs now is a band-

He snaps his fingers, his eyes lighting up suddenly. "Bandage! Yes! Correct! Totally knew that. Just, uh, checking if you knew that too. Of course. No way I WOULDN'T know that. I mean, I AM a doctor after all! Haha, right..."

"Well, doc, since it looks like you know what you're doing, we'll just leave you to it." The guard states, hurriedly taking your arm and guiding you out of the room. Carlisle's eyes widen in worry briefly, but he tries to cover it up with a bright smile! "What!? I-I mean, yes! Good! Leave the doctor to his work! I'll have her right as rain in no time! Yeah! I've studied medicine, and, um, stuff, so I know what I'm doing!" He lowers his head, grimaces at his medicine bag, and mutters, "For the most part..."

You reach the doorway and are stopped by Carlisle's voice. He's waving to you now from across the room, an amicable grin spreading from cheek to cheek.

"Oh, you! If I ever see you again, feel free to say hello! And come back anytime! Well, I mean, not ANY time, obviously. Most days we're in the Labyrinth, and I can get quite busy with patients on our off days, and Vellis-he's my roommate, nasty tongue he's got, but a good bloke he is-he doesn't like visitors too much. But other than that, drop by whenever you need to! Then again, you wouldn't exactly know if I was busy or not unless you were already here, would you? Maybe we could come up with some sort of system to-"

"That's great, Carlisle, they'll keep that in mind." The guard slams the door shut and leads you back downstairs again. His boots trudge slowly down the steps with a loud 'thunk' on each wooden step. You can hear his irritated exhaustion in every step.

Looking over his shoulder at you, he sighs for what you both hope is the final time. "Now that THAT'S over with, what do you say we head down to the station, friend?"

* * *

It's certainly not as grand or impressive as you had made it out to be in your head. The local guard station is a squat, rectangular building nestled in its own little corner near a bridge and a hat shop that seems to have been out of business for quite some time.

The guard takes notice of you staring at the empty shop as you walk by, chuckling wryly. "Yeah, doing business next to a building holding criminals doesn't exactly boost sales, does it?"

You enter the station behind the guard, and are immediately overwhelmed by the pungent aroma of sweat, urine, and general surliness that seemed to exude from every being in the building. To your left is this station's guard barracks, a small room full of disgruntled men and women trying to nap, playing card games, and complaining about the sweltering heat. To your right must be where the prisoners that are brought to this station are kept, a gnarly bunch of men and women who sit in their cells, curled up in dirty balls, cussing out the guards from down the hall, and complaining about the sweltering heat.

Well, at least they have something in common. Maybe they're not so different from each other after all, eh?

The guard moves behind a counter and begins rifling through the many stacks of papers that have been carelessly piled up on top of it.

"Dammit." Sighing constantly must be this guy's second job. "Valerie misplaced the paperwork. Again. I'll be right back." He retreats into a small office behind the counter to search for the documents you must sign. As he does so, you are jostled by a form to your right.

Looking down, you spot a sickly looking young Celestrian girl in a black hood, her face deadpan and her small hand in position to push you aside.

"Move." she commands. Her expression doesn't change, but her hand does poke annoying into your ribcage. "You're blocking the exit."

You bend down to her level and notice the scars adorning her skin, which is a strange shade of blue. This can't be good! She must be very, very sick! You quickly ask her how she's feeling.

You see the slightest hint of annoyance on her face. "Fine, person I don't know. Why?"

Well, just look at her! Covered in scars, skin sickly-looking...you offer to take her to a doctor to have her taken care of (obviously not to Carlisle).

She looks at you as if you had just said something incredibly obvious and stupid. Scowling, she pushes you away with much more force than you would have expected from one her size. As you stumble backward, something blunt strikes you hard in the forehead, and you cry out in pain and shock, falling on your rear. A rattling sound reaches your ears as you rub your poor, aching head, and you glance to your side to see a bone-a human bone!-lying near you.

The girl approaches you and looks down at you with disdain. "I'm a Necromancer." she says. "And I'm a Celestrian. Racist..."

With that, she silently glides out into the street. You move to stand up, hoping to at least shout out to her that you're sorry, that you're not a racist, that you have lots of Celestrian friends (not really. You barely have ANY friends, you poor, country born chap), but you're interrupted by the guard's return.

"Here you-what are you doing on the floor?" You hastily rise to your feet, almost slipping on the bone the girl left behind. The guard sees this, then looks out the doorway.

"That Necromancer girl was back, huh?" The man shakes his head. "Gee, you really have been having bad luck today, huh? Three out of the five Blue Moon members in one day? Never enter the lottery, my friend."

You pause. You double take, then inquire as to what he meant. Could that girl have possibly been...?

He nods, looking around the table for a quill. "Yep. Another member of the city's most shameful guild. They're all a load of loonies, didn't I tell you that? Don't know why, but that girl, Lazalia, I think her name is, she always comes by this place every so often. Comes to see some criminal that's been locked up a few months here now. Like I said, not sure why. Can't be planning anything good, I'm sure. Where is that damn...? Ah, here we are!"

He produces a quill from under the counter and hands it to you gingerly. You dip the end into an ink jar and spend the next few minutes scribbling down signatures, ticking off check marks in tiny boxes, and scanning through paragraphs of endless words (you read all the fine print. You swear!). After a while, you're not quite sure if it's even worth it to get your en back if your poor wrist falls off from over exertion. However, once all the appropriate forms have finally been signed and verified, you feel the familiar weight of your pouch of Ental firmly in your grasp again.

"Well, I suppose that's that, then." The guard nods and lets out one final, well-deserved sigh. "Again, I apologize for all the hassle you've had to go through since arriving here, and I appreciate your cooperation. Now, you said you were planning on becoming an explorer, yes?" You nod once in affirmation. "Well, you should probably head to the Explorer's Guild next, then. It's not far from here, and I can give you directions if you'd like. Once you get there, just tell someone that you're looking to sign up as an explorer, and they'll get you squared away."

The guard informs you of where to go to find the Explorer's Guild, and you thank him before finally taking off.

"Good luck out there!" he calls after you, and you flash him an amicable smile and a friendly wave as you take your next step toward your bright future.

* * *

You step out of the Explorer's Guild, head held high and chest puffed out with confidence. Why, what's got you so chuffed, old friend? You're an official explorer, now, you say? Well, that's just dandy, isn't it? Congratulations! This calls for a celebration, I'm sure! You stop a passerby and kindly ask where the nearest bar is. Remembering your current lack of funds, you quickly tack on a bit about it hopefully not breaking the bank, either. He sends you in the direction of the Twilight Tavern, a popular watering hole of the city that's perfect for explorers like yourself.

Explorer. Tingles of excitement and pride rush through your body at the very thought of the word. Of course, you're not really a full fledged explorer, not yet. You still must undertake a simple task of mapping out the first floor of the Labyrinth, a relatively easy mission that will be sure to teach you the basics of your new life, such as cartography and combat and gathering resources and the like.

You're hoping to get through it as quickly as possible so you can move on to having true access to the Labyrinth and finding yourself a guild. When the lady behind the counter asked if you wanted to make your own guild or simply join the list of explorers looking to join an already established guild, you chose the latter. You were too nervous to create your own guild. After all, who would join a guild run by some newbie with no proper experience, equipment, or skills? Not you, certainly. Plus, coming up with a good guild name is hard! You therefore added your name to the listings of hopeful recruits, a long, long list of countless names. You were a bit disheartened at first, watching as your name was swallowed up in the mass of scribbles that looked just like yours, all indistinguishable from each other. You were allowed to fill out a small profile about yourself to give your prospective employers a decent idea as to who you are, but it was rather basic, and you worried that you would simply be skipped over, just like the dozens and dozens of other people in your position.

Your spirits were lifted, however, ok your way out the door. A young man had noticed you adding your name to the recruitment list. He introduced himself as the leader of a relatively new guild. They had only been established relatively recently, but you could tell from his demeanor and the passion in his voice that they had a lot of heart. He informed you that their guild was searching for a final member to round out their party of five.

The Labyrinth, while obviously a very large and dangerous place, is still a very, very precious resource to the people of Iorys. In the early years of exploration, when the Labyrinth had only recently been discovered, guilds numbered in much higher numbers, and the standards for being accepted as an adventurer were much lower (which really says a lot about you since you passed, my friend!). While guilds marched through the dungeon in large, formidable parties, they quickly found that this created many problems. For some reason, parties with higher numbers seemed to run into monsters at a higher frequency. These monsters were also much more ferocious, and would often overwhelm smaller parties in the Labyrinth as well. The number of resources in the Labyrinth, too, also caused problems. While the resources gathered by explorers would often be replenished relatively quickly, the mass amount of explorers gathering them would quickly bleed the place dry of resources. Larger guilds would also bully smaller guilds out of their resources and prevent them from gathering at certain spots, creating a monopoly over the previous items of the Labyrinth.

Eventually, these problems were assessed, leading to the exploring system that you see in place today. While guilds are technically allowed to employ as many adventurers as they want, only up to five explorers in a guild may enter the Labyrinth at one time. This eventually led to the downsizing of guilds in general. A shift began to take place from quantity to quality. What's the use of having an army of explorers when you can only use five of them at a time? It was a hassle to keep everyone properly trained and equipped. Relationships between party members became more valuable, as well. In the old days, it was nigh impossible to really get to know many people in a large guild, but since they all marched into the Labyrinth as a huge group, it didn't really matter. Now that guilds are much smaller, getting to know one's allies is more important than ever. Some guilds do employ more than five guild members, but they typically are still small in number, never really more than ten members big or so. That's only a small percentage, however, as most guilds usually just stick to the five person limit and don't take on any more recruits. Some guilds are even smaller, too.

The man seemed rather agreeable, and the two of you spent a few minutes chatting. He invited you to meet with him and the rest of his guild for breakfast tomorrow in order to properly interview you about your skills and personality and such. You happily agreed, and he bid you farewell with smile.

Now you strut down the street, a spring in your step, face beaming. While your initial introduction to this town ended up on a rocky start, you can feel that things are looking up for you! Nothing can go wrong now!, you think, approaching the entrance to the Twilight Tavern.

You're not sure if you hear the crash or feel the man's body bowling into you first. Either way, you're sent sprawled out onto the floor as soon as you enter the bar. Dazed and confused, you pull yourself to you feet and take a look around.

It's a rather stunning interior, beautiful really. Or, at least it would be more enchanting if there wasn't some sort of bar fight going on. You can already see two smashed tables and most of the bar's patrons have scooted to the walls, clearing away from the battle before you. Though they seem unwilling to get into the thick of things, they are all obviously invested in and entertained by the action. There are several shouts encouraging the violence, and you spot money changing hands as bets are placed. From what you can tell, most are betting that the 'bunny girl' will lose.

In the center of the room, a Therian girl stands on a wooden table, a bottle held by the neck in her right hand, a plate in her left. She has an odd sense of fashion, although now that you think of it, you have noticed some of the Therian explorers around town wearing outfits of a similar style to her's. Her strange wooden shoes are suspended impossibly high off the ground on a pair of wooden pegs jutting out of the soles, and her top...well, there's not much there is it? Just a simple wrap of cloth hangs about her chest (which, not to be rude, isn't anything very remarkable. Just an observation).

"Come on!" she shouts to the three battle hardened, extremely perturbed and dangerous looking thugs encircling her. "You wanna talk shit, then get ready to be hit!"

One of the angry thugs roars and throws herself at the Therian, but she dodges swiftly and uses the woman's momentum against her to throw her over her shoulder and into yet another unfortunate table. She quickly leaps from her perch and elbow drops a brute of a man, but he easily catches her by the wrist.

"Let go!" she shouts, kicking out at him with her crazy shoes. "Vellis, help me out here!"

You turn your attention to where she glances and notice a young Celestrian man reading on one of the bar stools. He calmly looks up at the girl, a bored expression on his face. "You got yourself into this, Rin. You can get yourself out."

She growls as he goes back to his book. "You lazy shit! They made fun of you too! You should be fighting them with me!"

A thought suddenly strikes you. Vellis. Where have you heard that name again? It was recently, wasn't it? Must have been some time when you were at an inn...

Oh.

Oh no.

Nope. Nope, nope, not again, you are NOT dealing with another Blue Moon fiasco. You push yourself past the onlookers, trying to get to the bar. You just want a drink. Just one drink to celebrate your achievement today, and then you're out. That's all you want, just one-

Perhaps you should have paid better attention to where you were going. You trip over a chunk of ruined table and end up stumbling into the fray. Your face rams straight into the back of the Pugilist holding Rin, and you fall back on your tush for the second time today.

The low, nasty growl is what draws your attention upwards. Smiling sheepishly, you stutter out some form of apology, but the scar faced brute glowering down at you is a little too peeved to be having any of it. His fist raises up, and you brace yourself, prepared to be experience quite the headache in a second.

The strike never lands, however. A grunt of pain and the sound of splintering wood assault your ears as another man, even larger and fiercer, plows his fist into the brute's face. He flies backward, over the counter, dropping Rin to the floor in a heap.

The new brute states down at you, breathing heavily. His towering form looms over you, and for a moment you think you'd have preferred to have had your head pounded in by the other guy than have your brains smashed out by this goliath. He reaches one hand down to you, however, and offers you a hand up.

"You ok?" he asks, his voice a deep rumble.

"Theo!" Another voice draws your attention to your left, and a small form leaps up onto the man's shoulder. It's a young Brouni girl, dressed in the vestments of a Shaman. She ruffles the giant's blond hair. "Not bad! You may be stupid as a bag of bricks, but you managed to save this one!"

"Oh, um...thanks, Ms. Terra?" Theo rubs the back of his head in confusion.

"Damn you!" The lady thug from before has finally stumbled to her feet, and she rushes towards the pair, a knife seemingly produced out of nowhere.

You briefly register a whizzing sound before you find the thug yelping and tugging at an arrow that has lodged her sleeve into the wall.

It is then that you notice a distinct difference in the environment. The crowd has gone silent and parted near the entrance to the bar. Three figures stride in, and judging by the sudden silence and reverent looks that the crowd has bestowed upon them, you infer that these are not your ordinary adventurers.

The first of the trio that you notice is a beautiful Celestrian woman with stone gray skin, sashaying into the bar as if she owns the place. You notice several men and women swoon at her mere presence, and a simple wink and a smirk is all it takes for one man to hastily hand her his drink. She blows him a kiss and he falls backward into the crowd.

The second figure you can really only describe as upright at first. He's young and looks fairly strong, but his stance, his expression, the way he holds his scythe out in a confident, yet not standoffish way...he seems just like those gallant heroes you always heard about in those bed time stories when you were a child. Powerful, yet gentle. Fair and just. Brave. He exuded all these things in the way he held himself.

The final figure who seemed to lead the group was an old lady. Her wrinkled, weathered face held two sharp, intelligent eyes that darted back and forth, surveying the scene with acute wisdom. Her brow furrowed at every sight, however, as if everything she sees displeases her in some way. Her expression is shared by her feathered companion, a wizened, yet hardy looking hawk that is perched on the woman's shoulder next to her large Therian ears.

The old lady stops in the center of the bar. She slings her bow onto her back and places her hands behind her, slowly turning her head back and forth. The entire bar, including the raucous thugs, keeps quiet under her scowl. For a moment, that's all she does. Scowl, scowl, and scowl some more. Eventually, she addresses the entire room, her voice rasping out like sand paper rubbing together, yet somehow still holding the commanding power of years of experience.

"I would call you all a bunch of brainless, savage animals, but I've met animals with more civility and intelligence than you lot." She looked around at the damage surrounding her. "Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. And you call yourselves explorers?"

At this, Rin rose to her feet, her expression rivaling that of the old Rover's. "They started it!"

She waved the younger woman's comment off. "Bah! Doesn't matter who started it! It matters who stopped it, and how it was stopped! And none of you decided to stop it with any sense of peace or thought for your fellow kin?"

The thug stuck to the wall snorts, slumping to the ground slightly, apparently giving up on extricating herself from her position. She jabs a thumb towards Rin. "She ain't my 'kin'."

"Bullshit." the old woman spits. "You're an explorer, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

She shoots her hand outwards, finger extended at Rin. "Then that's your sister. And likewise for you, Rin!"

She then turns back to the crowd, looking at each explorer in turn as she slowly and deliberately lets her words sink into them. "We are Explorers. We're more than just a bunch of fools seeking adventure, or fame, or romance. We're pioneers of the unknown. Pilgrims of mystery. Protectors of humanity. We share common goals and ideals. When one explorer bleeds, we all bleed. When one explorer triumphs, we all are victorious. We are a family, connected not by blood, but by our spirits. That's what I've come to believe in my years of being an explorer. But what I see here today are not explorers, but dumb, violent hooligans and rabble rousers, spiking the good name of the Explorer. Shameful, is what it is."

Silence settles over the bar again, and the old woman steps forward. Yanking the arrow out of the wall rather easily, the thug falls to the ground with a small gasp. Slowly raising her head, she hesitantly sticks her hand out towards Rin. "I'm...I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have said those things. Can you forgive me?"

Rin stares at the woman's hand for a moment, her brow furrowing deeper. "W-whatever!" Standing up, she stomps over to where Vellis is seated. Grabbing his arm, she yanks him towards the exit as quick as she can, the Warlock seemingly passive to the entire ordeal.

After the two leave, the young Harbinger shakes his head. "How embarrassing. That is why Guild Blue Moon is always vilified, not because of their skill, but because of their ignorance of what it really means to be a guild of explorers. Momoka is right. They should be ashamed of themselves."

The Celestrian woman giggles at this, casually holding her glass out for one of her fans to refill. She doesn't have to wait long. "Oh, come on Julius, a little harsh don't you think? I can't really disagree, though. Not sure why those losers were showing their face in this place, anyways."

The old woman, Momoka presumably, rolls her eyes at this. "Shut up, Luca." Then, surprisingly, she turns her attention to you! "You okay, there, young'un? Looks like you were caught up in a rough spot, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry." The brute who had nearly knocked your block off apologizes to you from behind the counter, rubbing his head in pain. "Let my anger get the best of me and almost hit you. My bad."

Before you can even say anything to the man, the giant Earhtlain, Theo, bows deeply to him, nearly throwing the tiny Shaman from his shoulder.

"Please, forgive me!" he shouts, tears welling from his eyes. "I mistook you for a bad person, and unfairly judged you! Please, punish me as you see fit-"

The man is cut off as the Brouni girl kicks him in the head. Hard. Hard enough to knock him down.

"Dammit, Theo!" she snarls. "Nearly threw me to the damn floor, you stupid gorilla!"

"Calm down, Terra." Julius smiles and gently ruffles the girl's hair, a gesture that she quickly slaps away. "Theodorius didn't mean to do that."

"Whatever." Terra crosses her arms and leaves the poor Pugilist sniffling on the floor. "Someone get me a drink!"

"Aren't you a little too young for that, shrimplet?" Luca teases, uncorking a bottle of wine. "I know there's no law for it, but the only thing worse than you would be a drunk you."

"Shut it, cow! Gimmie that wine!"

"Cut it out, you two," Momoka interjects, "or I'll pin you both up on a wall, too!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Granny Momo!" Luca laughs, waving the bottle out of Terra's reach. Now, if you don't mind, we're gonna get back to the festivities and would prefer not to be nagged by grumpy old fossils. Drinks are on Julius tonight!" she calls out to the rest of the patrons. They roar in jubilance, and the cheery atmosphere has returned. Julius quickly splutters out protests and moves towards Luca, but his arguments are lost in the crowd.

Granny Momo sighs and turns back to you. "Idiots, all of 'em. But they're my idiots, I guess. You ain't hurt, are ya?" You shake you head and she nods at you, a hard, but slightly amused, look on her face. "Well, alright then. Get on up, in that case! Explorers don't just laze around like that! Up ya go!"

It's at this point that the bar's owner, Mirina, returns to the establishment, shocked to see the destruction that has been wrought while she was away.

Before she can even say anything, however, Granny Momo raises her hand. "Don't worry Mirina. Nothing serious, just a little tussle between idiots. We'll pay for it." She shoots you a sly grin and adds, "Put it on Luca's tab. It'll be her good deed for the day. Or month, in her case."

The old woman slaps you on the back and leads you over to the bar. "Never seen your face before, kid. New in town?" You nod. "Thought so. You look like one of those newbie explorers that have been flooding in. Bright eyed, bushy tailed, and ready for adventure. You sign up at the Explorer's Guild yet?" You nod again. "Good. You may not be much now, kid, but I can tell you're gonna go places. All you need is a good guild, good skills, and a good heart. A good amount of Ental doesn't hurt either!"

You chat with the old woman and her compatriots on and off that night, and you learn through them and other patrons in the bar that the five of them comprise Guild Radiant Sun, perhaps the strongest, most skilled, most respected guild in all of Iorys. They are...quirky to be certain, but so far, everyone in this city has been to some extent. But just looking at them you can tell that they are heroes, true heroes, and embody everything you've ever pictured an exploitation guild to be. Granny's speech, in particular sticks with you, and as you laugh and joke and sing and dance all through the night, you gaze upon the faces around you and your heart swells with hope, with kinship, with pride. You are an explorer, and these people around you, these beautiful, brilliant, wonderful people around you are your family. You hope that one day you can meet at least half the standards of what Guild Radiant Sun sets forth in what it means to be an Explorer.

* * *

However, this story isn't about Guild Radiant Sun. In fact, it's not even about you! Don't get me wrong, my friend, I'm sure you'll have many great stories to tell and adventures to be had, friends to make and romance to find, mysteries to uncover and treasure to claim. But don't you think there's another lot that deserve at least...I don't know, a pity story or something? You are assured to achieve greatness, but those poor sods of Guild Blue Moon, who will tell of their exploits? Their adventures? Their hardships and sacrifices? It is highly, highly, HIGHLY unlikely that a guild as...well, pitiful and incompetent as them will achieve any amount of success, but someone must document their exploits, even if they are simply awful and laughable attempts at mimicking real explorers. But who knows? Perhaps they may surprise us. Perhaps even they can learn to become a stronger guild, to achieve glory, to discover the spirit of the Explorer.

Or perhaps not.

In any case, this is their story. The story of those sad, laughable excuses for adventurers and their attempts at exploring the Labyrinth, experiencing misadventures, and becoming heroes.

This is the story of Guild Blue Moon, the (self-proclaimed) Masters of Fate.

* * *

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first fic! Not sure how often I'll be uploading this, but hopefully my school work and adventures in EOV next month won't hinder me too much. I'm honestly not entirely sure where I'm going to be going with this fic each chapter. Most likely just misadventures and the like, both in and out of the Labyrinth. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this and haven't gotten too used to the writing style used in this chapter. I wanted to experiment with second person POV since I just adore choose your own adventures stories and the like, and I thought it would be a fun, creative way to introduce you, the reader, to the world and various characters.**

 **Anyways, please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and I hope to see you here for the next chapter, whenever I can be bothered to upload it.**

 **B-bye, bakas!**

 **\- OBTG**


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